The curious art of investing in modern design

The market for quirky modern furniture and home accessories has rapidly become a focus of attention for art aficionados and professional investors alike. Gareth Williams, the curator of the V&A’s Telling Tales exhibition says, “Suddenly almost every object conceived within a spirit of enquiry and experiment can be passed off as ‘design art’, even if it barely registers any fundamental test of design (functionality, for example, or appropriate use of resources) …within a few years, an entirely new ‘design art’ market has arisen as an adjunct to the mainstream market for contemporary art, fed by the rivers of corporate and personal wealth that course through art.”


I’d agree that, just because something is a little bit unusual and different from the norm, doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s of any more value. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and prices in the art market can fluctuate dramatically, according to popular demand and personal taste. When an artist becomes a ‘celebrity’ things can get completely out of hand – as in the case of Damien Hirst, where, in my opinion, the media hype far outweighs the talent involved and the actual worth of the pieces being sold.




I’m curious to know if ‘design art’ is headed in the same direction as the financial markets. How can one possibly know what’s worth buying? How can these sorts of items be accurately valued? When is the right time to invest: now, later, or never at all? Based on my own experience and intution, I’ve devised some sensible suggestions for how to decide on whether or not to invest in a piece of arty designer furniture:





Firstly, there are practical considerations that you should take into account, for instance, can you actually use the item in question and roughly how much might the piece have cost to make in terms of materials and labour? Is the piece unique, or one of a limited edition? What is the quality of the craftsmanship? If you’re buying to sell, then do you have evidence of the highest (and lowest) price that someone else is likely to pay for this sort of work? Be realistic, what if there’s financial Armageddon – is your purchase really practical, strong, built to last …or could it be recycled to create something useful like a barbeque or some firewood?



Do also bear in mind that the purchase of creative design is best made as an investment in your own personal wellbeing (after all, you’re the one who’ll be sharing space with your purchase) – and, of course, it’s also an investment in the talent pool of the design art market (so a form of patronage). Other subjective considerations worth making before you buy are:







What is the value of the ‘design’ to you – do you actually like it and could you live with it in your home for the rest of your life? Does it fit in with the style of your home, the rest of your furniture, or other key pieces in your collection? What does the piece ‘mean’ to you – is there an emotional reason as to why you are drawn to this particular item, does it hold memories, suggest a story or have a special significance?



By the way, at ShopCurious, we’ve some beautifully hand crafted, eco-friendly furniture, made by young designer, Ali Chapkin - inspired by her travels in Mexico. To my eye, the natural materials, the bold, earthy colours and curved lines are aesthetically appealing – plus, these are all practical, usable items. What’s more, they're the sort of pieces that I feel would look good in many types of setting: from modern apartments and modernist homes to ski chalets, holiday villas and cutting edge bars.








As to whether or not these will prove to be a good investment, well that’s up to you to decide …so let the buyer beware.

Will you?

Curiously crafty knitted chairs

The ubiquitous plastic chair comes in all shapes, colours and sizes. Whilst many have attempted to re-design its form, resulting in all manner of cool, ‘designer’ versions, few have been creative enough to look beyond the actual fabric of the chair itself.









Here’s an example (left), where a plastic chair has been recycled to create a rather curious looking piece of furniture … it’s intricate, arty and fairly pleasing to the eye, but I’m not sure how comfortable this chair would actually be to sit on.





The Brazilian Campana brothers have inventively embedded plastic chairs in what appears to be natural wicker to create a sprawling, organic-form sofa – perfect if you have plenty of room, or your own art gallery to put it on display.









Yuvinia Yuhadi, a recent graduate from London, has come up with a rather more practical solution in the form of these curiously quirky hand-knitted chair covers - now available online at ShopCurious. They’ll transform any standard plastic garden chair into a cozy and inviting armchair.





Collectively branded as ‘the not-so-ubiquitous knitted chairs’, each of the covers has been lovingly handmade by an eclectic group of passionate knitters from around the world. The designs currently for sale include a cable-knit version, based on the traditional gentlemen’s club style leather armchair, a lacy-knit nature inspired design and a racy-knit laced up mini-length number.

If you can’t afford to buy one of the ready made versions, there’s even the option to knit a cover yourself, with free patterns provided by the designer.



This would probably be a lifetime’s work for me, although I did manage to knit the odd scarf back in my dim an distant school days ... however, if you’re the crafty type, who’s willing an to take on a challenge and dedicated enough to see it through to completion, then this could be just the thing to while away the winter hours.









And I don’t think there’s anything more innovative-but-sensible that you could do with a plain old plastic chair.

Do you?

Naturally sensible style - it's Hatastic!

I thought I’d celebrate a lovely late summer day in London by waxing lyrical about the wonders of nature here along the River Thames. The other day I spotted a dragonfly on my terrace, which was a really wonderful surprise – and makes up for the legions of nasty mosquitoes and irritating little flies that seem to come our way. This year there have also been quite a few more butterflies, although apart from the odd Red Admiral, it’s mainly been Cabbage Whites (click on the pics to enlarge).


There are plenty of birds by the river as well. There were goldfinches nesting in my sixth floor olive tree - and we even had a visit from a friendly robin the other day. Down on the river, there are wagtails, swans, cormorants, ducks, geese, seagulls, crows and herons – plus massive flocks of starlings and swallows that flit from bridge to bridge and across the rooftops every evening at this time of year (see above) ... though I'm never quite fast enough to capture the perfect photograph of thousands in flight.

I won’t mention the pigeons as, thankfully, they’re probably better catered for elsewhere in town – or in the nearby park, where I’ve seen a lady throwing bag loads of breadcrumbs to them.


Talking of which, my mother recently went on holiday to Devon and came back laden with bursting plastic bags full of huge pebbles and shells from the beach, which she collected for me to 'decorate' my outdoor plant pots with (thanks Mum - good job you didn’t go abroad, as the plane would probably have fallen out of the sky under the weight).




Equally inspired by nature is the inventive British milliner, Chloe Haywood, whose Hatastic! fascinators are currently available at ShopCurious. If you’ve a late summer wedding to attend, a dressy garden party, or any posh event, (indoors or out), one of these beautifully handmade creations could be just the thing to set off your outfit.



The hats are individually made using recycled pieces of vintage fabric and quirky bits and bobs found by the designer – and each one is totally unique, so you won’t suffer the embarrassment of someone else turning up in the same design. Eco-friendly, reasonably priced and totally timeless, these curiously cute little fascinators simply ooze sensible style. What’s more, they’re really unusual too, so you’re bound to end up with lots of interesting comments from all sorts of curious types…





In the words of that great social butterfly Oscar Wilde, ‘there’s only one thing worse than being talked about …’

Are you?

Style is but a fruit tree

On Sunday, I was a guest at a rather lovely lunch on a tiny rooftop in deepest inner Hillgate Village (a curiously colourful and hidden secret part of Notting Hill). It was memorable for several reasons: chiefly, it just happened to be one of the rare sunny days that we’ve had this summer in London – no umbrellas, tarpaulin or alternative venue required.




The setting was so unusual – a cottage garden in the sky with far-reaching views across the city - plus plums, cherries, tomatoes and grape vines growing all around. We enjoyed a sumptuous array of summer salads and desserts - like homemade tangy lemon ice cream, accompanied by succulent fruits of the roof terrace. The naturally beautiful bark-edged oak dining table was handmade by the host (the architect and creator of our surroundings) and the table was set with fabulous blue and white willow pattern style place settings and adorned with an abundance of freshly made fare.


Unfortunately I forgot my camera, so I'm unable to show you how absolutely perfect it all was.


Anyway, I reckon that some fruits almost grow by themselves, if you just take the time to plant them. Most soft fruits even grow quite nicely in containers and, if well watered, can be surprisingly hardy - like the figs, shown here, that I’ve grown in a couple of pots – quite remarkable for a wet summer in London (plus a bit of good karma).



Due to the vagaries of our (un-great) British climate, the figs may not ripen properly, but can still be used to make the tastiest jam. I’d suggest you go out and find somewhere to plant them now … even the smallest space will do – and I can recommend an architect who’ll find you room where you didn’t know you had it. Why not bring a touch of the stylish English country garden into town?



Just thought I’d also mention that we’ve got this wonderful retro 1960s raspberry jam pot at ShopCurious – a collectable curiosity for fans of vintage perspex, or a curiously simple and suitably sweet gift for lovers of sensible style and old fashioned English country pastimes like jam-making.










I’d suggest you think seriously about 'growing your own' – and you can blow a raspberry to anyone who tells you it’s not better to eat organic.

Will you?

Curiously sensible, but fascinating style

This month, I’m taking a little break from blogging, but will be back very shortly with our new theme of ‘sensible style’. Before you ask the question, the answer is ‘yes’ - of course it’s possible to give, dress and live curiously and still be sensible at the same time.












At this time of the year, there are plenty of sensible-but-stylish bargains to be found in the sales. We've recently added some new items to our ShopCurious sale, including these fabulous fascinators that have been handmade in England by the milliner, Gil Fox.






For a very small sum of money, you can jazz up any outfit with one of Gil’s colourful feather fascinators and you’ll also look totally individual wearing one of these unique accessories.













If you're a local like me, it's also sensible to invest in contemporary British design - you’ll be helping to keep small businesses and traditional artisan trades like this alive.

Will you?

PS ... international delivery is also available!

Curious colours of nature in fashion

Earlier this year, I attended a talk by Abigail Ingram on the subject of ‘structural colours in nature’. She asked important questions like ‘why are some animals and plants brighter than others?’ She also mentioned a few naturally colourful species in passing: the dragonfly, the lavender beetle, the chalk blue butterfly, the shoal fish and the peacock (or at least its feathers).








Apparently, it was Newton (in the 1700s), who first linked the diffraction of light with the structure of peacock feathers. However, it wasn’t until the early 1970s that physicists became fully aware of structural colour.



It’s interesting how in some insects, like butterflies, the dorsal side of the wings is pure colour, but the other side is camouflaged. The males are often very brightly coloured, apparently to ward off others from their territories and not, as Darwin thought, to attract females. Butterfly wings are actually like a multi-layer reflection of colour – of the sort you might see in an oil slick or an opal stone. The morpho butterfly, left, is the perfect example of this – in fact morpho butterfly structures are applied to products such as makeup and there's even a ‘morpho tex fabric’.



As Kate Fletcher explains in her book, Sustainable Fashion and Textiles: “Developed by Teijin, Japan, and inspired by the iridescent morpho butterfly of South America, Morphotex achieves its colour by causing light to diffract and interfere with the fibre in ways that can amplify certain wavelengths. This creates brilliant colours to the viewer through the use of physical structure rather than with pigment or dye...






In effect, the surface layers play with light and reproduce a coloured fabric without the energy and resource impacts associated with dyeing and printing. The Morphotex fibre has a multilayer stack structure made up of 61 layers of polyester and nylon, each with different refractive indexes. By controlling the thickness of the layers, it shows variations in the four primary colours: red, blue, green and yellow, according to the angle and intensity of light"

By using nano-scale structures, it's possible to create new paints, fabrics and cosmetics – what’s more they’re free of toxins and require less energy to manufacture. Modern technology also draws upon this phenomenon in nature to create holograms – useful in anti-counterfeiting measures for credit cards. Using a similar technique, brightly coloured sea creatures, called Aphrodite, right, can also be used for optical purposes. Biomimicry is probably the ultimate eco-friendly activity, since it's all about using nature and natural ecosystems as a model for innovative solutions to our own design requirements.

Hopefully, I've got all these facts right ... I'm not an expert on matters of science. In fact, generally speaking, men seem to be much more absorbed by the wonders of modern technology than women. However, biomimetrics is an area where modern technology, practical design and colour coincide - as in the case of these curiously colourful and stylish phone cases by Jack Spade, currently on sale at ShopCurious.










They're rather unique and could be perfect if you're looking for a useful, but unusual gift for any man (or woman) who owns a Blackberry or an iPhone - and who also likes to stand out from the crowd.

Are you?

Sao Paulo - city of colour

If you love colourful places, you’re bound to be attracted to the bright lights of Brazil. I was totally wowed by the wonderful colours of Sao Paulo, when I stayed at the Hotel Unique earlier this year.









The hotel has been described as “an urban work of art”, “an architectural landmark” and a “reference in global hotel design”. The Unique was designed by Brazilian architect, Ruy Ohtake – and the unusual apartment style rooms were decorated by Joao Armentano.


Key features are the round porthole style windows (left), Brazilian wood floors in the rooms - and an incredible rooftop terrace, where you’ll find the most amazing crimson coloured swimming pool (right). The hotel is also very eco-friendly, with self-sufficient energy and a private supply of pure water.





The restaurant and bar are colourful by day, but at night, they come into their own as a showcase for the city’s beautifully illuminated skyline.




I asked Brazilian jewellery designer Marcelle Lawson-Smith to recommend some fashionable places to visit and soon discovered that colour abounds in other parts of Sao Paulo too. The popular Jardins area houses some stunning shops and restaurants, including Galeria Melissa – famed for its quirky plastic shoes, here displayed in futuristic plastic bubbles set against an African inspired backdrop – complete with life size models and photograhs of big game animals.

Brazilian style green foliage even extends indoors, with many restaurants housing a plethora of plant life. These include the romantic Figueira Rubaiyat, with its ancient, gigantic central fig tree and the modern Arthur Casas designed restaurant, Kaa, where tropical vegetation even grows on the walls.




If you’re big on design art then Sao Paulo’s also the city for floor to ceiling cocktail bars and amazing oversized handmade wooden furniture.





The old part of town is just as colour-infused – like the bustling municipal food market, with its exotic fruits and magnificent, huge stained glass windows.







Emerging areas, like the Italian suburb of Vila Madalena, (a bit like London's Notting Hill before it became world famous), have amazing character and curiously cool graffiti that would put even Banksy to shame.






This is the place to find great home furnishings, retro accessories and colourful clothing - like Farm’s Brazilian beach and casual wear (unfortunately no photos allowed). The outside of this hippy-chic boutique is also swathed in greenery, and there's a rather magical butterfly tree in the courtyard.






Food in Sao Paulo is as vibrantly vivid as the rest of the surroundings. The sushi at the Hotel Unique is highly recommended, as is the seafood at the Figueira restaurant. By the way, did you know that Sao Paulo has the largest Japanese population outside of Japan?





Finally, an enormous, brightly painted statue of St George and the Dragon takes pride of place at the Unique hotel entrance. I discovered that it’s probably not just beacause Saint George is the patron saint of Portugal – he also happens to be the patron saint of the Corinthians of Sao Paulo football team (in fact their ground is called St George’s Park).















So, if you’re into delicious food, stylish fashion, design art, football and fun, ShopCurious highly recommends a visit to this city of many colours.

Will you?